Steve Wilks will rise or fall in Cardinals' remaining games

Steve Wilks will rise or fall in Cardinals' remaining games

The Arizona Cardinals had an impressive outing against the Green Bay Packers a week ago. However, they failed to continue that momentum and had an abysmal performance against a lesser Detroit Lions football team.

Steve Wilks was again under fire. The crowd booed at multiple points during the game. The worst part of the night by far was a statement made by Wilks in his postgame presser.

He claimed the Cardinals had a great game plan but the loss was due to a lack of execution. Certainly, that is no way to help keep your players loyal to you.

Steve Wilks has been under fire from the media and fanbase since Week 1’s crushing loss to the Redskins. A lot of the team’s struggles trace back to his defensive scheme.

The biggest downfall is the regress in the Cardinals defense. While they have been excellent in stopping the passing attack, opponents have found success in running the ball against the Cardinals. In 2017, the Cardinals had one of the best rushing defenses with a unit that suffered much more injuries. They’ve been significantly worse under Wilks.

Teams are typically much easier on a rookie head coach; however, there are some losses that were utterly embarrassing and illustrate the need for change. Getting blown out in your home opener against a Redskins team that rarely goes beyond the .500 mark is downright unacceptable.

Perhaps the most embarrassing was getting blown out on a Thursday night by the Denver Broncos. Or maybe it was losing to the rebuilding Oakland Raiders. Or maybe it was getting smacked around by the Chargers. Or could it possibly be choking away both the Chicago and Seattle games?

Do you see the point?

That isn’t to say Wilks should take all the blame and be fired immediately, but Arizona’s remaining three games will be very telling.

They’ll travel to Atlanta to play a Falcons team that is struggling with hefty injuries on the defensive side of the ball. That should be a good test for Wilks, as the Falcons offense still features Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, and Mohammad Sanu. If his defensive unit can hold against that strong offense, there might be a reason to consider Wilks in 2019.

The Cardinals will host the powerhouse Rams in their home closer in Glendale. Despite LA’s talent on both sides of the ball, another blowout could signal the end for Wilks. Four blowouts in a season are just unacceptable. However, if the Cardinals have a strong showing against such a talented football club, Michael Bidwill may decide to give Wilks another shot.

Finally, the Cards will travel to Seattle in a place they’ve had tons of success in. Anyone remember marching into CenturyLink Field without Carson Palmer and David Johnson and pulling off an upset victory?

Failing to succeed where the Bruce Arians staff thrived in could spell doom for Wilks and company. This game is of the utmost importance for him, as the last game in the season will be the most remembered by Michael Bidwill and Steve Keim.

A win over the Seahawks could give good momentum heading into the offseason for Wilks’ staff. However, a loss there could leave a bad taste in the building heading into February when head coaching interviews can begin.

Steve Wilks will need to show Michael Bidwill a reason to keep him around in these next three games. However, it isn’t looking good as of today.